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Getting Picky About Eating Out

Photo by LYNN KESSEL

Quick-cooking fish and a short ingredient list make this recipe for Pargo Almendrada snapper with almond sauce come together fast. Browning the almonds in olive oil makes them taste extra nutty. Ybor Grille Southshore owner Bob Fernandez graciously shared this recipe, which is a customer favorite on his menu.

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The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 15, 2008

When I think of eating out, the first question that comes to my mind isn't "Where should we go?" It's "Can we afford it?"

Considering the disposable income we've had lately - or the lack thereof - I've found eating out is more of an "event." I'm becoming a little pickier as to food, service, ambience and am less willing to be adventuresome.

I don't want to be disappointed. There's nothing I hate more than ordering a meal and feeling that my own cooking is so much better and so much less expensive.

Still, dining out is relaxing and does wonders for my psyche - and it means no dishes.

If you know how to cut the right corners, meals away from home can sometimes be cheaper than preparing them at home.

In bad economic times and even good, I rely on several money-saving strategies to stretch out my dining dollar, and none are eating at the ever-popular run-with-a-burger chains.

On weekends, we go out for lunch rather than dinner. It's a win-win situation for both my waistline and wallet. The portions at lunch tend to be smaller in size, and I don't pig out as I do at dinner. I also drink less. Lunch specials usually run at reasonable prices, too.

I can make a meal out of appetizers. There are many tempting choices from the left side of the menu. At Circles in Apollo Beach, I order the mussels vin blanc. You get plenty of them, along with fresh bread for dipping. For me, it might as well be an entree.

On a recent hectic Saturday, I didn't want to stop what I was doing to make lunch, or mess up the kitchen. So the grocery shopper of our house stopped and picked up my favorite pork sandwich, marinated in sour oranges and garlic, from Ruskin's Ybor Grille.

When I do dine at a restaurant, I usually ask for a doggie bag and take half of the sandwich home for dinner. It's a great way to turn a $10 restaurant bill into two $5 meals. On this day, we split the sandwich, both commenting how it was a delicious, thrifty and filling idea.

These are rough times for our eateries. Ybor Grille is no exception. To lure Sunday morning diners, owner Bob Fernandez recently opened on Sundays from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

I stopped by one morning to find him featuring a breakfast special that his mother used to make - two eggs grilled in olive oil, served over a bed of white rice, garnished with plantains and Cuban toast for only $7.95. Buen provecho.

Fernandez generously offered to share his recipe this week for pargo almendrada (snapper with almond sauce). Its simple saute comes together fast and is full of flavor. In lieu of red snapper, which my supermarket isn't carrying, I made the dish with tilapia, which was delicious.

PARGO ALMENDRADA (Snapper with Almond Sauce)

One 6- or 7-ounce red snapper filet (score skin to prevent curling)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon sliced almonds

1 tablespoon diced onion

1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped

1 tablespoon white wine

1 tablespoon butter

Flour

Salt and pepper to taste

Juice from one lemon

Lightly dust the snapper filet in flour, salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a medium saute pan. When hot, add the snapper skin side up. Saute on medium heat until flesh turns golden, and then turn over so the skin side is down. Add sliced almonds, onion and garlic; saute until almonds and onions start to caramelize.

Add white wine and lemon juice; remove pan from heat. Add butter, shaking pan to mix until the butter is melted. Serve with yellow rice and fried plantains. Serves 1.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 913, Ruskin FL 33575-0913. For more of her recipes, visit southshore .tbo.com and enter the search words: Lynn Kessel. Readers are encouraged to send in their favorite recipes, comments and suggest

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